Field of the Invention
This invention relates td meth and systems for inventory control. More specifically, this invention relates to Web-based inventory control methods and systems that can perform automatic order calculation and placement.
Description of Related Art
A variety of inventory techniques are well known in the art. Generally, these prior techniques are not adapted to integrate on-line tools with suppliers and/or distributors for tracking inventory, nor do these prior techniques typically include a sophisticated order calculator.
Although the following documents may not necessarily qualify as “prior art,” the reader is referred to these U.S. patent documents for general background material. Each of these documents is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for the material contained therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,784 describes a management control terminal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,395 describes a system for controlling manufacturing systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,352 describes an integrated MRP system for distributors, manufacture and job shops.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,666,530 and 6,317,797 B2 describe systems for automatic synchronization of common files between portable computer and host computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,238 describes an apparatus for performing dynamic synchronization between data stored in a handheld computer and a host computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,292,547 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 639,134 B1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,449,346 B1 describe a telephone-television interface statistical analysis system.